Beginners guide: 10 valuable Surviving tips for Working Parents in the Bay Area

Lets face it, living in the Bay Area comes with a pretty high price tag. We pay a premium for the beautiful weather, a food lovers paradise, and an abundance of outdoor activities within arms reach. This means for lots of families, BOTH parents have to work in order to afford living here. And with the economy booming and unemployment at an all time low, many working parents have to deal with long congested commutes which equates to more time on the road and less time at home.

So how do successful working parents crack the code of surviving in the Bay Area with the pressures of balancing work and life?

Divide and conquer – One parent can’t do it all and don’t be afraid to ask. Work with your partner as a team to divide household chores, run errands, and spend time taking care of your kids.

Find reliable transportation service for your kids – If you have school aged children, most likely you’ll need an after school program or activities while both parents are still at work. Getting help from a transportation service, such as ScootyBees, who provides dedicated, reliable rides just for kids, gives you the peace of mind and that precious extra time to squeeze in an errand or cook a meal when you need.

Services are our friend – From meal deliveries to wardrobe rental services, if there is something you need done, you’ll most likely find a service for it. These services offer the convenience and time-savings you preciously need when you don’t have the luxury of time and is WELL worth the extra cost.

Streamline your life and setup auto-pay – Spend less administrative time managing personal tasks, such as paying bills, by setting up auto-pay whenever possible. Not only are you saving the environment, you’re also saving time. Now that’s a win-win.

Cherish your weekends – Find time to de-compress during the weekends by spending time outdoors away from work, running errands, or doing household chores. Whether its going to a gym that provides child care service, or going out on a family hike, squeeze in some time to relax and put away that to-do list.

Don’t feel guilty to say No – Outside of your job, you may have personal obligations that come knocking on your door. This could be requests or invitations from your extended family or a kids birthday parties almost every weekend. Its ok to not have to do it all and feel the power to say no from time to time. Even if you don’t have any other scheduling conflicts, keep yourself sane by not over-committing yourself.

De-clutter! – Yes, the saying is true, a cluttered place is a cluttered mind. Minimizing your work and home space is liberating and will help you think and see more clearly. The more you have, subconsciously, you’ll feel more bogged down. Managing work and kids is enough to occupy your mind, why add more with stuff you don’t really need.

Find time to stay healthy – Its easy to de-prioritize yourself when you have work and family responsibilities, but its the one most important thing that you can’t AFFORD to not do. Although it can be really tough to think about yourself and not your to-do list, make it a priority to make healthy choices and find 30 minutes a day to break a sweat and take care of yourself.

Set expectations upfront – Your boss has no problems making sure you understand the expectations the company has of you while at work, why not make sure your boss understands your expectations when you’re NOT at work. Be transparent and let your employer know that you have a family, a long commute, and that you have to spend time with your family (offline) when you need. As long as you’re getting the job done, be upfront and let your boss know what work life balance means to you, which in turn, makes you a much more happy and productive employee.

You don’t have to ‘keep up with the Jones’ – Don’t fall into the trap of measuring your self-worth and success by what car you drive or how big your TV is. Not only will you never feel satisfied, you will add unnecessary pressure on yourself and your family by not enjoying the moment and stressing about what you don’t have. You’re not in high school anymore, being happy and spending time with your family is super cool, feeling sad because you don’t have a Tesla, not cool at all.